DEFENSE OF PINE BLUFF-SHELBY'S RAID. 453 Curtis, and several civilians. Gen. | court-house and several dwellings, Blunt, rallying some 15 of his guard, battering most of the residue; but escaped capture and death by great they could not take the town; and, coolness and courage: their persist- at 2 P. M., drew off, having lost 150 ency in boldly fighting creating a be- killed and wounded, beside 33 prisonlief that they were the van of a heavy ers. Our loss was but 17 killed and force. A considerable train that ac- 40 wounded-5 of the former and companied them was sacked and 12 of the latter among the negroburned. The attack was made very volunteers. near the little post known as Fort Blair, which was next assailed; but its defenders, though few, were brave and well led by Lt. Pond, 3d Wisconsin cavalry, who beat the enemy off, inflicting a loss of 11 killed and many more wounded. Gen. Blunt and his remnant of escort kept the prairie till night, then made their way to the post. They had not ventured thither before, apprehending that it had been taken. PINE BLUFF, on the south bank of the Arkansas, 50 miles below Little Rock, was occupied, early in October, by Col. Powell Clayton, 5th Kansas cavalry, with 350 men and 4 guns. Marmaduke, at Princeton, 45 miles south, resolved to retake it. By the time he advanced to do so," Clayton had been rëenforced by the 1st Indiana cavalry: so that he had now 600 men and 9 light guns. Marmaduke, with 12 guns and a force estimated at 2,500, advanced in three columns, and poured in shell and canister for five hours, setting fire to the place; but Powell had or ganized 200 negroes to barricade the streets with cotton-bales, by whose services the fire was stopped without subtracting from his slender fighting force. The Rebel shells burned the Part of Cabell's command, which (as we have seen) had been worsted, in the Indian Territory, by Blunt and Phillips, undertook, under Shelby, a Fall raid into Missouri-probably in quest of subsistence. Emerging from the Choctaw region of the Indian Territory, the raiders passed rapidly through the north-west corner of Arkansas, crossing the river eastward of Fort Smith, and evading any collision with our forces near that post as well as with those holding Little Rock, and entering south-western Missouri; being joined" at Crooked Prairie by a similar force under Coffey, whereby their number was said to be swelled to 2,500. These advanced rapidly through Western Missouri to the river at Booneville, but forthwith commenced a retreat-disappointed, probably, in their hopes of rëenforcement from the now passive Rebels of that disloyal section. They were pursued by a hastily gathered body of Missouri militia, under Gen. E. B. Brown, who struck" them near Arrow Rock at nightfall; fighting them till dark; renewing the attack at 8 next morning, and putting them to flight, with a loss of some 300 killed, wounded, and prisoners." 39 fight was obstinate and lasted five hours. The Rebels were finally completely routed and scattered in all directions, with loss of all their artillery and baggage and a large number of small arms and prisoners. The enemy's loss in killed Gen. McNeil was at St. Louis when first apprised" of this raid, and at once set out for his post, Lebanon: whence, gathering up what force he could, he advanced on Bolivar, moving by Humansville and Stockton on Lamar, where he hoped to intercept their flight. But Shelby had already passed through Humansville, hotly pursued, losing there his last gun, when McNeil reached that point; so the latter joined the hunt through Greenfield and Sarcoxie into Arkansas, and on through Huntsville over Buffalo mountain, taking prisoners by the way; continuing the chase to Clarksville, unable to come fairly up with the nimble fugitives, who had now crossed the Arkansas and vanished among the wilds beyond. McNeil here gave over the pursuit, moving deliberately up the river to Fort Smith. During this chase, he had been designated" to command of the Army of the Frontier, vice Gen. Blunt, relieved. Standwatie and Quantrell made another attack" on Col. Phillips's outposts near Fort Gibson, Indian Territory; but, after a fight of four or five hours, the assailants were routed and driven across the Arkan sas. This terminated the fighting in this quarter for the year 1863. A general Indian war on our Western frontier had been gravely apprehended in 1862; and that apprehension was partially realized. Under the administrations of Pierce and Buchanan, the Indian agents and other Government employés among the aboriginal tribes of the great plains were of course Democrats; and wounded is very great. Ours is also large. Our troops are still pursuing the flying Rebels. "J. M. SCHOFIELD, Major-General." many of them Southrons, and all intensely pro-Slavery. These were generally superseded, under Mr. Lincoln, in the course of 1861; and were suspected of having been stimulated, by wrath at finding themselves displaced and by political and sectional sympathies, to use their necessarily great influence among the several tribes to attach them to the fortunes and involve them in the struggles of the Confederacy. Of some of them, this is probably true; but it is not known to be proved, save with those formerly accredited to the tribes residing within the boundaries of the Indian Territory. But, however caused, the general feeling of the western Indians toward us became more and more hostile during 1861-2; until at length certain bands of the Sioux of Minnesota, with some other tribes, plunged into open war. Little Crow's band bore a conspicuous part in these butcheries; striking in rapid succession the north-western frontier settlements at Yellow Medicine," New Ulm," Cedar City," Minn., and a few other feeble outposts; besieging for nine days Fort Ridgeley;" beleaguering and twice assaulting Fort Abercrombie, whence they were driven with heavy loss; and butchering in all some 500 persons, mainly defenseless women and children. Militia were promptly called out and sent against them, under Gen. II. II. Sibley; and the main savage band was finally struck" at Wood lake; where Little Crow was utterly routed, fleeing thence into Dakota. Some 500 of the savages were captured; of whom 498 were tried by court-martial, and about 300 convicted and Oct. 9. Oct. 20. Dec. 18. "Aug. 18, '62. Aug. 21. "Sept. 3. "Oct. 17-26. "Sept. 22. 44 SIBLEY'S AND CONNOR'S INDIAN CAMPAIGNS. 455 sentenced to be hanged; but Presi- | expeditions suffered terribly for water dent Lincoln deferred their execution, a great drouth then prevailing on and most of them were ultimately set the plains. at liberty. Next summer-Gen. Pope being in command of this departmentthe irregular frontier line of settlements in the north-west was picketed by about 2,000 men; while Gen. Sibley moved westward from Fort Snelling in June, with some 2,500 infantry; Gen. Sully, with a body of cavalry being sent up the Missouri on boats to cooperate. The two commands did not unite; but Sibley found and fought" some of the hostile savages at Missouri Couteau, Big mound, Dead Buffalo lake, and Stony lake; killing or wounding some 130 of them; while Sully encountered " a band at Whitestone hill, routing them with heavy loss, and taking 156 prisoners. The remnant fled across the Missouri and evaded pursuit. This was the virtual close of the Sioux war. Our men on these Far West, Brig.-Gen. P. E. Connor, 1st California volunteers, commanding in Utah, on hearing" of Indian depredations by the Shoshonees on Bear river, western Idaho, marched thither (140 miles) through deep Winter snows, wherein 75 of his men were disabled by frozen feet, and, with the residue, attacked" 300 savages in their stronghold, killing 224; his own loss being 12 killed and 49 wounded. Four months later, Gen. Connor, with most of his force, traversed the region westward of the Rocky mountains so far north as old Fort Hall on Snake river, but found no enemy to combat. These Indian hostilities, though inglorious and most unprofitable, subtracted considerably from our military strength, and added largely to our exhausting outlays during the trying year 1863. XX. THE CAROLINAS, GEORGIA, FLORIDA-1862-'63. THE Savannah river having, with | ter of mud-formed, often sand-fringed its largest affluent, the Tugaloo, sea islands, matted over with a thin formed the boundary between South Carolina and Georgia from their northern verge, after a generally south-east course of some 300 miles, passing, at the head of ship navigation, near its mouth, its namesake city, which is the commercial emporium of Georgia, winds its sluggish way to the Atlantic through a clus19 Sept. 3. "July 25-29, 1863. 49 crust of grass-roots, covering a jellylike mud several feet deep, resting uneasily on a bed of light, semi-liquid clay. FORT PULASKI, on Cockspur island (a mile long by half as wide), was a carefully constructed brick National fortress 25 feet above ground by 7 thick, completely commanding not only the main channel of the 50 January, 1863. 51 Jan. 29. Savannah, but all other inlets practicable for sea-going vessels to the city and the firm land above. Having early fallen an easy prey to the devotees of Secession, it was held by a garrison of 385 men, Col. C. H. Olmstead, 1st Georgia; its 40 heavy guns barring access to the river by our vessels, and affording shelter and protection to blockade-runners and Rebel corsairs. to place a battery, barring all daylight access to the beleaguered fort from above. To this point, mortars, weighing 83 tuns each, were brought through New and Wright rivers (each of them a sluggish tide-course between rush-covered islets of semiliquid mud); being patiently tugged across Jones island on a movable causeway of planks laid on polesthose behind the moving gun being taken up and placed in its front;' and thus the guns were toilsomely drag strong timber platforms, constructed by night behind an artfully contrived screen of bushes and reeds to receive them. Just as the batteries were completed, the Rebel steamboat Ida passed down from Savannah to Pulaski, and the recoil of our guns fired at her sent all but one of them off the platforms; which had thereupon to be enlarged and improved. Soon, another battery was established on Bird island, a little nearer Cockspur: and next, vessels having arrived in Tybee roads with heavy guns and munitions, the 7th Conn., 46th New York, and some detached companies, were employed in landing these on Big Tybee, constructing batteries and magazines, making roads of poles and plank, &c., &c. Nearly all this work had to be done by night, within range of Pulaski's guns-the outline presented to the enemy by the low bushes skirting the river being skillfully and gradually altered, night after night, so as to afford to the garrison no indication of the menacing work going on behind its friendly shelter. Very soon after our recovery' of Port Royal and the adjacent seaislands, Gen. T. W. Sherman direct-ged across and placed in battery on ed' Gen. Quincy A. Gillmore to reconnoiter this ugly impediment, and report on the feasibility of overcoming it. Gillmore obeyed; and reported' that the fort might be reduced by batteries of mortars and rifled guns planted on Big Tybee island, south-east of it, across the narrower southern channel of the Savannah, as also from Venus point, on Jones island, over two miles from Cockspur, in the opposite direction: and submitted his plan; which was sent to Washington, returned approved, and the requisite ordnance and other enginery ultimately forwarded or collected. Meantime, the 46th New York, Col. R. Rosa, was sent to occupy Big Tybee, and a detachment directed quietly to clear out the Rebel obstructions in "Wall's cut,” an artificial channel connecting New and Wright rivers, north of Cockspur, and completing an inland water passage from Savannah to Charleston. After some sharp fighting and four nights' hard work, this was achieved; and, after some farther delay, Venus point, on Jones island, north-west of the coveted fortress, was selected' as a point whereon 'See Vol. I., p. 605. Nov. 29, '61. 'Dec. 1. 'In Dec. 'Jan. 14, '62. Jan. 28. Feb. 10-11. "Feb. 21. The moving of each gun over the quaking, treacherous bog, from its point of debarkation to its designated position in battery, was the tedious, arduous task of 250 men, all performed under the cover of darkness: the men being forbidden to speak; their movements being directed by a whistle. When a gun slipped, as it often would, off the planks and 'skids' supporting it, the utmost efforts were required to keep it from plunging straight down through the 12 feet of mud to the supporting clay, if no farther. Thus were the remnant of February and the whole of March intently employed-Maj.-Gen. Hunter, who had just succeeded' to the command of the department, with Brig.-Gen. Benham as district commander, visiting the works on Tybee island, and finding nothing in them to improve. At length, all was in readiness:" 36 10 to 13-inch mortars and heavy rifled guns being firmly planted in 11 batteries-the farthest two miles, the nearest less than a mile, from the doomed fort, with a dépôt and separate service magazine where they should be, and carefully considered 11 orders given to regulate the firing. And now the fort was summoned in due form by Gen. Hunter-of course, to no purpose-whereupon, at 81 A. M., fire was deliberately opened, and kept up till dark-the mortars throwing very few of their shells within the fort; but the rifled guns chipping and tearing away its masonwork, until it became evident that, unless our batteries should be disabled, the fort would soon be a ruin. Five of the enemy's guns had already been silenced; while our widely scattered, low-lying, inconspicuous batteries had received no damage whatever. During the ensuing night, four of our pieces were fired at intervals of 15 or 20 minutes each; and at sunrise" our batteries opened afresh; and now the breach, already visible, was steadily and rapidly enlarged: casemate after casemate being opened, in spite of a heavy and welldirected fire from the fort; until, at 2 P. M., a white flag was displayed from its walls, and the siege was ended. One only of our men had been killed, and no gun hit or otherwise "April 11. 11 April 10. |